Hop Rod Rye | Bear Republic Brewing Co.

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I know, I say this every time we drink… but my travel schedule has been insane. Don’t blame me. Well, okay, blame me for the last one. We were in Florida. But we drank a LOT of beer. Didn’t write on any, but drank a ton. Anyway, we are back… for the rest of the week, anyway. Hoping to get on some sort of schedule. I might hold my breath for this one!

Let’s see if I can remember where we left off. Oh yeah, my plan for drinking. Here we go:

In the Glass: The head is thick, and sits atop the beer with authority. It seems thick from the bottle, and when the head settles it still seems thick and frothy. I like a thick head on a beer, as that means the beer itself will more than likely be thick and smooth as it goes down.

Nose: The beer smells like an IPA. I am not picking up much, if any, of the rye that they talk about. But I am sure it’s there in the mouthfeel and the aftertaste. The nose isn’t as big as I had hoped, and does not stack up to most American IPAs that I drink. The tasting notes promise for some big flavors. Let’s see!

Flavor: The beer is immediately carbonated. I don’t expect that, that’s for sure. It’s also very subtle on the tongue. It doesn’t really kick in until the beer goes down your throat and sits there on your tongue for a few minutes. The flavors at first are nearly annoying, yet come back toward the back of the palate.

Mouthfeel: I HATE the mouthfeel… initially. It’s VERY carbonated, and I hate a carbonated beer But as it settles and slides down your throat, it calms down a little bit and then settles with a great aftertaste. I just can’t get over the initial bubbles. I don’t expect that, especially with such a thick head. That sort of hurts a little!

Aftertaste: This is where the beer comes in. It nearly saves the day for the brew. The aftertaste also lingers, which I love in a beer. Especially a beer with so much bitterness. Considering how many IBUs this brew has, I expected more flavor and a more bitter aftertaste, but I’ll take it. I will take it for the time it sits there.

The beer is good, but not great. It’s just average, and for a rye I expected more. The aftertaste almost brought me back over the top, but can’t save those initial bubbles. The beer does have a big ABV, and while that is not obvious, after a few of these, and an 8% ABV, you will feel them when you stand up. With a label like that, I wanted more. Not upset, just wanted more. Either way, wherever you are tonight, bottoms up!